TEHRAN // Three people died and 259 were injured in the annual fire festival ahead of Iran’s New Year, officials said on Wednesday, as warnings against dangerous celebrations were ignored.
Each year, Iranians celebrate Chaharshanbeh-Soori, an ancient Zoroastrian tradition on the eve of the last Wednesday of the Iranian calendar, by jumping over bonfires.
But fireworks and improvised explosives are also used to mark the event, often causing injuries.
Among the three who died on Tuesday night was a 45-year-old man who suffered a heart attack brought about by an explosion, said Amin Saberinia, head of Iran’s emergency medical service.
The other two were a 24-year-old man and a teenager, Mr Saberinia said.
Some of the injuries were serious, including of a 14-year-old boy who lost both hands and was in a coma, he said.
The youngest victim was a three-year-old girl who lost fingers. Most of the injured – 234 out of the 259 – were men.
Many Iranian actors, artists and celebrities this year urged people to stick to the traditional fire-jumping and refrain from using fireworks ahead of Nowruz, which starts on Sunday.
Some did heed the advice and Mr Saberinia said the number of injuries were about 50 per cent lower than last year, when three people were also killed.
The death toll has been falling in recent years, with nine killed in 2014 and 19 in 2013.
Many Iranians have taken to staying indoors for fear of being hurt on Chaharshanbeh-Soori, when blasts and whistling explosives ring out across Tehran.
* Agence France-Presse
